News-Record.com

Charlotte can have the slimeball-loser Grier. My only fear is they won't want him.

What does our BOE have to say about their fearless leading seeking employment elsewhere. Guess I'll have to turn to the Rhino to see.

Jenn, could you post the name and adress of the people in Charlotte who we need to write to for letters of recc. to try and help Dr.Grier.

Anyone wanting to comment on Dr. Grier's latest news can call Caron Myers at FOX8 at 336-225-3147.

Hey Stuck, any terms, baby!!!!

Ain't no mountain high enough, ain't no valley low enough, ain't no river wide enough...

He could publicly renounce his bid for the position if it is false. I haven't heard official renunciation by Grier yet. I am sorry to say, but I have mixed feelings about Charlotte’s choice. I have investment property there and I guess I am going to have to sell it now. I was hoping for a bit more breathing room between us and his new local.

Worse, the 100k raise our Board will offer him is making me nauseas. The husband and wife successors scare me as much as he does. We get rid of him they loose them, we loose, they loose, who wins?

I guess even more troubling is that being so close they know all about our problems and have bought his misinformation so early about cutting drop out rate in half. He isn’t even there and they are considering his numbers. How can people be duped so easily. Next he will extol the virtues of a lottery to choose what High school you want to go to and you get to choose from 3 World Class schools. Guilford County doesn’t have 1 World Class school and he has knocked our test scores, forget the test scores, he has knocked our county for a loop.

I cannot in good conscious wish this on any School District and if he has to go somewhere else, send him to California where they harvest fruits and nuts. Maybe San Francisco would take him. He likes their software and owes them a favor I suppose.

My caveat is “the enemy you know is safer than the one you don’t”.

If Grier is offered the job by our more progressive neighbors to the South, God Bless Him if he goes. He deserves better than what he got in Guilford County.

Now, if it happens, let's ponder, what qualified educator with a decent pedigree will want to assume the position in light of all the crap our fair community bestowed upon the other'n?

Not very many.

Hey Bubba,

Why don't you go with him!

Outta here 2,

In spirit and in prayer, I'm allready there with Mr. Grier.

Oh good Bubba,

The guy needs at least one friend. I agree, it should be you.

Hey Bubba- That's "DR." Grier to you!

HEY BOARD MEMBERS...DID GRIER DISAPPEAR FOR A FEW HOURS EARLIER THIS WEEK? MAKE SURE HE RECORDS IT AS VACATION TIME!!

March 20, 2006
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The search for the next superintendent for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is moving ahead Monday. To protect superintendent candidates' identities, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School Board met behind security at the Charlotte-Douglas International Airport.

As a part of meeting procedure, school board members met in open session inside a small board room near baggage claim and then agreed to meet in closed session. They even had to go through the airports security screening.

School board member Kit Cramer said the secrecy is necessary to protect the identity of the candidates and get the best people to apply for the job.

"Our search consultants said that it was such a competitive environment and so many people already have jobs that (the candidates) don't want to share that they're applying for other jobs. Naturally, we are trying to keep it as confidential as possible for their purposes," she said.

Not only is the school board not releasing the names of the candidates or where they are from, but they are not releasing how many people they are interviewing.

Cramer said the interviews could last into Wednesday.

Board members have called the search for a new superintendent "a critical decision at a critical time."

Apparently Dr. Grier has many admirers with our progressive neighbor to the South of us.

It's interesting that the banking/high tech community of Charlotte sees great possibilities in Dr. Grier's credentials and progressive approach to education.

Let's admit it, Dr. Grier's agenda and processes were to progressive for many of you who still cling to the motto "separate but equal." A progressive city such as Charlotte is more deserving of Dr. Grier's abilities than our backwoodsie textile & furniture society.

Bubba, what "seperate but equal" etitity are you referring to?

When people have to haold secret meetings in airports to pick the next joker who's going to fleece them-I just think Mel Gibson (see Allen"s blog) is right -we're at "Apocolypto".

Bubba, you are right. Dr. Grier's "progressive" policy of spending time traveling all over to speaking engagements and collecting consulting fees instead of devoting time to his multiple schools that are heading down the pooper is too progressive for guilford co.

Oooh, and Bubba, let's not forget the "help a struggling school by throwing names in a hat at another school and sending the "losers" to the first school". Now that's progressive with a "P' and will surely impresss the living s--- out of the interviewers.

Isn't Dr. Grier under contract until 2009 (or so)? Wouldn't CMS have to buy out his contract to hire him assuming that the GCS Board would let him go?

C. Boy,

The dance that Dr. Grier is currently performing with Charlotte, the "secret meetings in airports" are sort of typical wouldn't you say with most potential employee negotiations. Even if Grier isn't hired by Charlotte, this incident will only further enhance Grier's stature among the GCS board members and his contract may be renegotiated for terms more favorable to him.

We should be proud that a much larger organization that offers greater challenges to the candidates has chosen our Ed Super as one of the finalists. In my mind, this illustrates to me that Dr. Grier has capabilities that though many in our community have disparaged, others have come to admire.

Truly, Dr. Grier is a man for the times for a community other than ours. He's too progressive and forward thinking for the average Guilford citizen.

CMS names 3 finalists

ANN DOSS HELMS and PETER SMOLOWITZ
ahelms@charlotteobserver.com | psmolowitz@charlotteobserver.com

Three finalists for superintendent of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools were announced at a 3 p.m. press conference. The candidates are:

• Peter Gorman, who heads the Tustin Unified School District in Orange County, Calif., a district with about 20,000 students.

Gorman was a finalist in January for the top job in Clark County (Las Vegas), Nev., according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He was formerly the CFO of Orange County Public Schools in Orlando, Fla., which has about 150,000 students and a $1 billion budget.

• Guilford County Schools Superintendent Terry Grier.

• Charlotte's interim Superintendent Frances Haithcock.

Grier and Haithcock's names surfaced earlier this week.

All three will now meet the public in early April, after spring break ends. The Charlotte school board hopes to announce a hire in late April or early May.

There's no doubt. Terry's the MAN!!!

You're probably right, Bubba, about
Terry's two-step. But all great things begin with a dream.

C. Boy,

Amen to that.

Lord Hear Our Prayers.

jwg,

NC is a "right to work" state. An attorney told many parents two years ago at a large group meeting that in the State of NC, an employee contract is only good for ONE year; that it did not matter how many years a contract said.

Terry Grier is an employee of Guilford County.

If he is selected, the ending contractual details will be interesting to follow.

bubba

you sound more like Demon David Deacon Hog every day

bubble boy,

Huunh?

I believe Dr Grier's contract is a contract for GCS to him,, not from him to us. If he wants out of the contract I htink that would be no problem and of course that would make any salary etc a forfeiture by him, since he would not loose time being out of work or without pay.

This will be an interesting couple of months.

It would have to be a bilateral contract to be legal. I also know a school board member has told me there is no "performance clause" in it. . Perhaps this is why we are seeing performance evaluation this year.

Does any one know what Eric Becoats' wife's job description is?

If we're lucky, TG may be the lead dog amongst a group of puppies.

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/living/education/14174073.htm

SCENE TWO;
A small waiting area. TG is lead blind-folded into the room. Other candidates sit nearby.

OTHER CANDIDATE: So, how did it go in there?

TG: Putty in my hands.

Hosanna,

LOVED IT!!!

I hope it will soon be playing in a theatre near me - like Charlotte!

I was confused when I read that Grier would neither confirm nor deny that he was applying for the Charlotte position. This is a link to the letter he sent to GCS employees Friday. You can also go to the GCS website and find it there.

http://www.gcsnc.com/fridaynotes/spec03_24_06.htm

"....and I want the district's efforts to become the nation's premier school district to continue."
Terry Grier, Friday Notes...3/24/06

You idiot! You have people graduating that can't READ. You improve test scores by busing black kids! Get back to basics!

Grier is all about GRIER! He always has been. He always will be.

Please, look for 4-leaf clovers, dig up your lucky rabbit's foot, say ANOTHER prayer, whatever it takes to

............GET TERRY GRIER OUTTA HERE!........

It would be nice of some daring, young reporter asked the school board members for their comments on Grier's lastest shenanigan.

I spoke to one and have a fabulous quote. I won't share it because I didn't get permission but I suspect some good jounalist could get a comment from some of them.

I would love to hear what Anita Sharpe, Nancy Routh, Alan Duncan, Amos Cooke and Darlene Garret have to say.

I could give a rat's #%$@ what the others have to say.

I think we need a minority Superintendent. So when Charlotte declines the good Dr., saying he's "too innovative and a tad underqualified".. I think he should be FIRED on the spot and a minority hired in his place.

Why do you think team Beacoates was hired? The BOE has that already set up. Grier will be gone as soon as he finds an employer as lazy as GC. If they check his background, he's screwed! If they want a political pawn, he's in!

As many of you know I have been known to go to a board meeting or two. I volunteer often in schools etc, just as many of you do. I have to disagree with some of you about Dr Grier., not that I agree with many of his ideas, but don't you think the buck stops with the BOE? I sure do! If they would collectively ask better questions, not roll over, stand for quality education some of this crap would not be going on. The Smith Acadamy? A great idea, but not at the expense of the current bond. The board could have said just that.. 'bring it back at budget time'-- As Dr. Grier say's "they serve at the pleasure of the board"-- why don't we hear the board giving clear and definitive directions?

I would think that the Superintendant's job would be to bring new ideas to educate our children. The BOE should insist on proven ideas and teaching strategies, not 'pie in the sky.'

One thing that I strongly disagree with Dr Grier on is the pressure that the teachers and principals are put under about 'no suspensions.' Did anyone read the letter to the editor in the Rhino this week from the Andrews graduate? He said that the opportunity for education is there, but each student has to decide to take that responsiblity to do their part. Great letter. Get the 3% or so(I call these students our frequent flyers) of students that disrupt the classes out of school so the other 97% have a chance.

On another issue, what are the parents thinking about the reports that question the value of block scheduling. I haven't been a fan of block-I think the advantages outwiegh the educational disadvantages. Now with Central, Page, Western and possible others changing.. how are people taking the changes?

Debora, I love your attitude but the truth is, Grier came here, found a bunch of Southern Hillbilies that he could manipulate (he is the master manipulator) and has done just that. He has special meetings and tells them exactly what to think and do with promises here and there. He has no more of a right to sit with the board members at BOE meetings than Jill Wilson does, but none of them remember that he works for them. He should NOT be able to put in his 2 cents worth any time he wants to. He should be on the floor with the rest of his staff.

But...if anybody from Charlotte is reading this, he is GREAT! You need him. We'll make due, somehow.

This is what Grier says his achievements have been from the last five years here in GC.

Note, there is nothing about improvement of results. That is beacause they haven't improved. Isn't that the bottom line?

Cutting the dropout rate in one-half—from 5.97 percent to 2.98 percent
Increasing the number of students taking Advanced Placement exams from 2,864 to 7,132
Increasing the amount of scholarships offered to our seniors from $28M to $50.2M
Narrowing the achievement gap between white and African-American students
Doubling the number of students participating in high school art, drama and music
Passing two school construction bond referendums totaling $500M

I think it says something that Guilford is and has been listed on a national website that lists districts with well known issues of bullying teachers and having meetings where they are not allowed anyone with them while the dictrict shows up with 5 people. They make up stories against employess such as I know a teacher where the parents praised her to the principal and the dictrict claimed that the teacher was using the parents etc. Weast started the problem and Greer stood right behind it too.

Truth,
Can you get the comparitive #'s for SAT, ABC and AYP scores over the past few years?
The problem has always been that Grier will focus an inordinate amount of $$ and attention on a small % of the student population. This is at the expense of a majority of the students. 80% of our students EOG, SAT, ABC, AYP and any other acronym score you want to measure are DECLINING since Grier. Instead he'll focus on the small, high profile issues that make for good reading in the educational journals. If you look at those programs yourself, you'll see an incredible FAILURE rate even in his "specialty" programs. Early College is a success...... Middle College, a FAILURE. Grier calls it a success because less kids are failing BUT THE MAJORITY OF THE KIDS IN THOSE PROGRAMS ARE STILL FAILING. I guess it's like being the tallest midget. Who are you comparing yourself to? (No offense intended to the vertically challenged. Just trying to make a point)

Dear Set Us Free,
I agree about the failure of many of our middle colleges. For the cost that we spend per student we could send them to one of the best private schools! What standard do we set with these special programs? When do admit that out of 100 kids, passing 20% of them is not acceptable?

I talked to a good friend in Franklin Tennessee today and she had some advice for our board members. I told her I would share it here.

Board Members: Now that the finalists for the CMS superintendent job have been revealed, many board members from CMS as well as community leaders WILL BE CALLING YOU for your opinions of Terry Grier.

If you are one of the board members that can't really think of anything nice to say about Terry Grier and you don't like to lie, however, you want him to get the job in Charlotte so that GCS doesn't have to buy out his contract, get Caller ID immediately!! Once you have it, DO NOT ANSWER ANY CALLS FROM THE 704 AREA CODE!!! Also of importance, DO NOT RETURN CALLS TO SAME AREA CODE! It's only a month and the calls will stop eventually. The callers will find at least a couple of your fellow board members more than willing to build Grier up to match his resume.

This is precisely what the TN reps did in order to get rid of Grier when Guilford County wanted him.

And a reminder: Remember right after you hired Grier and you all received those giant suckers? Yep, they were from us! I'm sure that it may have taken a few weeks to understand their meaning, but I'm sure you eventually realized that you were the suckers for hiring him. I would suggest buying 9 huge ones right now and get them ready for CMS! (You can get them at any Cracker Barrel-cheap!)

It was quite odd to watch your local newspapers during the selection process. Things would come up about Grier's past and we were sure you wouldn't hire him. The next day, your Chairwoman would say that he was still the frontrunner. We always loved that woman. What ever happened to her?

Anyone in 704 area code may call me. I would be more than happy to discuss his management of the system. He is 1000 times better than Dr. Jerry Weast. Some people forget that.

Did Dr. Weast illegally bus black kids around?

I can honestly say that I COULD possibly muster up one or two good things about Grier if asked, BUT the fact that he attempts to solve educational issues by busing, overrides any positive.

For me, that is huge. You DON'T stick kids on a bus and expect them to magically get smarter.

THAT was HIS IDEA. HE convinced the board THAT was a good idea. THAT maneuver alone makes it blatently obvious that Grier is NOT a man of integrity nor is education his goal.

It doesn't matter that Grier is "better" than Dr. Weast. The fact that he's NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR OUR CHILDREN is all that matters. We should not have to settle for "at least he's better". I would just like to see, for our children's sake, a superintendent that was more worried about making sure the kids of the county received a sound, basic education.

Dr. Grier does NOT care what knowledge our kids take home at the end of the day. He is more worried about the dollar amount on his paycheck and all the bogus accomplishments he can add to his resume.

We have failed the kids of Guilford County by allowing grier to stay. We have failed them miserably.

You have overlooked one significant fact. Dr. Grier did not recommend busing. The BOE turned down about 4 of his proposals that did not have a "busing element". They rejected all four and kept asking for new ideas. This procedure resulted in what we have now. How should apportion blame. I would say 95% BOE and 5% staff. Giving 100% of blame to Dr. Grier is not right and those of you that don't know this should know it.

WHo's to blame for this Joe?

Guilford couty SAT average scores over the last three years.

02/03,03/04,04/05.

996,1011,994.

Alamance Burlington,

975,982,1002

Davidson County

997,1002,1014.

Winston-Salem/Forsyth County

1005,992,1015.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg County

1001,1005,1004

GC is the only county with a downward trend and has the lowest score for 04/05?

Is that the boards fault?

Yes it is!

The BOE has given lackluster support to Dr. Grier on new academic ideas. His ideas are often implemented in an impossible short schedule that is not good for anyone. The BOE does not no how to help staff. I mean really help staff.

i would appreciate it joe if you , grier,duncan and others would stop referring to us, as people, as "staff". the proper term is THE staff. we are not an infection. we are people. you are starting to sound like them joe. have they sucked you in to their jedi mind game too?

i'm a little worried about grier's chances of being awarded this job in charlotte. in his special friday notes 3/24, he states many results that have been achieved in gcs during the last 5 years he has been here. apparently, this is the best he could come up with during his interview process:

keep in mind that during the last five years, he (and his board) have had an annual budget of about half million dollars, had half million in bond referendums to work with, millions in donations and grants, and grier himself gets paid about a quarter mil/year.

according to grier, these are his bragging rights - this is what the lucky students/parents/taxpayers of guilford county have gotten for their hard earned money:

* reduced the drop out rate by almost 3% - WOW
* increased # of students taking AP exams by slightly over 3000 (no mention of % of kids passing with 3 or 4)
* increased scholarships by $22 million (seems like this would have more to do with student's academic & athelic performances than grier himself)
* narrowed the achievement gap between whites and blacks (albeit by a very small percentage)
* passed 2 bond referendums
* saved the most impressive for last: doubled the number of students participating in art, drama and music at the high school level

his record, and this board's record, speaks for itself. it's in black and white on the gcs website.
curiously i wonder to myself, if grier takes credit for students being awarded scholarships, does he also take credit for leading 2 of guilford county schools to the lowest in the state? how about a nagging pattern of consistently decreasing SAT scores and passing rate on ABC EOC's? how about dwindling teacher morale? how about increasing violence in our schools since 2000? what about not spending bond funds on projects taxpayers voted for? that's what "progressive" has done for most of us. reckon that gcs PR team would have to work pretty hard to spruce up the real educational facts about gcs during the last 5 years. maybe the n-r could help with that.

Pls substitute "The Staff" for staff in my prior posting. Good catch!

please substitute: annual budget of half Billion and bond referendums totalling half Billion dollars

There's as much "subbing" going on in The Chalkboard as there is in GCS. That's a lot given the fact that Grier has driven a ton of teachers away from here.

Joe,

If what you say is true, that the "staff" (Not STAPH) is responsible for all that ails Guilford county...then please tell me WHY do we have/need a Superintendent?

In my peon view, he should STEER the board. If he sees them making decisions that will fail..(ie, choice plan, busing, etc..)then he should SPEAK UP!

The fact that he sits there all smug and full of himself tells me one of three things:

1. he doesn't give a @%#$
2. He's worthless
OR
3.we don't need a Superintendent.

which is it?

My spouse - an incredible teacher and a truly amazing person - plans to no longer teach in this district. We've never seen such a mess...the district is so huge that the administrative offices are overwhelmed and the schools don't have anything near a "zero tolerance" policy for discipline cases. When nothing happens to those students - regardless of the color of their skin - the pattern of behavior will only worsen. The teachers need support and better advocates at ALL levels. Is Grier that advocate for educators? And if he hasn't been, who is holding him accountable?

Joe,

all of the above is correct. Grier constantly says.

"we can do this"
"we can do that"
"we can do whatever you want" to the board.

He never said. "the choice plan wont work"
He never said "an Educational magnet at SW will not work"
He never said "an Arts magnet at SW will not work and so on and so on..

I also agree with Cheryl. The sucess stories he has on his friday noes are "extremely" weak.

I have said it before that he has only just now, after five years, come up with a plan for Smith.

Joe. He is too busy on CV creativity to really get his hands dirty, look at the problems we really have and solve them. Parent after parent child after child, black, white yellow or green are asking for more dicipline!

Do we get a solution?

Study the Guilford County School manuals for the past three years. You will see why discipline has gone down the tubes. There are no consequences. The students KNOW this.

For example, you can get caught cheating up to three times. The consequence is zero on a test and call the parents. How many times is one allowed to be a crook?

In a private school, it would be one time and you are "drummed" out WITHOUT HONOR.

We say we teach "character education" which is a huge joke! Teachers in school don't even know about "the program". How does letting children cheat, use profanity, punch teachers, spit, kick, knock over bookcases, smoke in restrooms, make out in class, etc. teach CHARACTER???

Do as I say not as I do. You teach it by EXAMPLE. You enforce discipline by showing you mean business.

LET'S TAKE BACK OUR SCHOOLS.

A Teacher's Spouse,

Amen, the legion of great teachers I know who have or are considering leaving continues to grow.

Murrow

Just A Teacher,

Can I get another Amen, You are absolutely right. And the handbook that we have, which is as you pointed out, without serious consequences, isn't followed. Thus, the situation is made even worse.

If a student is putting other students in danger by fighting and is supposed to have a certain consequence, that consequence is usually not even followed. Parents sign sheets at the beginning of the year saying they and their student understand all the rules. When are we going to use those signed sheets as a legally binding document and follow through on the lax rule book we already have?

At least do that. If the system is not going to follow the hand book, why don't we just say that up front, many of the students and parents already know it anyway. We could save some money by not printing the books. Or perhaps we could have the rule book and just say ok, well you are of this ethnicity or this color so you won't be prescribed the same consequence in this situation, oh wait a minute that sounds like racism.......could it be that it is a reverse form of racism.

If one cries that too many of one type of student is getting suspended (which is true) and alternatives need to be created (which they do) then do it for all students, change the rule book to say exactly what you are going to do. Don't make a mockery of it by saying one thing and doing another.

Murrow

To Debora and Joe Stafford, letting Grier off the hook for the diasters that have occured in our county, would be like letting Himmler and Goring and the rest of the SS and Gestapo off the hook for the Holocaust. After all they were just carrying out Hitler's orders. Grier was in all these things from Day#1. Thinking he wasn't is very naive.

We don't need no stinkin' superintendent!

I have a chance to talk to teachers almost everyday where I work. Not a single one of them has anything nice to say about Grier. The SB needs to wake up and fight with the teachers not AGAINST them.

People that know about education in Guilford County say that Terry Grier is much better than Jerry Weast. I did not say he is perfect. He has had some rough spots. I also agree he does not speak out very much on bad proposals made by the Board. He treats each Board Member as an educational professional. Some probably don't deserve that treatment. He will not go public with his flustrations even though many of us know they are there. Who should be interim supt. if Dr. Grier heads south. I would suggest Dr. John Wright. It would be a good cap to his career. He is the hardest worker in education that I have every know. One person that you need to stay away from is Michael Preddy. He is a show horse not a work horse.

John Wright is GONE! So, yeah, I agree he would be an improvement over Grier.

If Weast was bad, Grier must be worse since our scores have dropped.

And Joe, wasn't Weast just working at the pleasure of the board? Why were his failures not blamed on the board?

Or is it that Weast didn't stroke you like Grier does?

I don't believe I am naive about most of the boards and Dr Grier's actions. I know that I have agreed with some (Early College and middle colleges are great ideas if implemented with high standards) dissagreed with many, many (taking away title 1 from HS, HP Plan, coming up with new ideas for Bond Money, cutting TA's, block schedules, lack of disciple, racial healing).

I do think the board needs to go deeper into situations and think things through. They should have a set deadline for new programs. Something like Oct 2005 for new programs to be initiated in Aug 06.. maybe even more time. They don't! They let Dr. Grier come up with new things and push them through way too quickly. New ideas and the budget need to go hand in hand. Don't rob Peter to pay Paul or vice versa.

If most of us worked for someone that let us do as we wanted, gave you raises or bonuses or added to your retirement with no consequences or standards of review then we would do what ever, when ever we wanted. I believe that is the situation that Dr. Grier is in. The BOE looks to him for his 'expert' input and follows blindly behind him.

I agree with Debora's take on some of his weaknesses. But the problem can be corrected if the BOE gave a little specific guidance. I agree totally that new programs should be firmed up by October 15th of the preceeding year. Remember what happens when Dr. Grier tries to propose a new program a year in advance. The BOE will not cooperate and sit on it to the last minute. Why should Dr. Grier have his programs killed in the public arena before the BOE even gets down to considering it?

I am not fan of Grier but he is only part of the problem. If he took, Dot, Alan, Deena, and Walter with him to Charlotte, that would make a serious dent in the problem!!!! Then and only then could we get some competent leaders who actually believe in educating the kids beyond anything else.

The problem with some of the sb members is they view Grier as a guy who has moxie and can take the heat for any agenda they are pushing backdoor.
That's why I think he has lasted this long. The guy is like a cockroach; nothing affects him what-so-ever.

"The great majority of superintendents only last 3-5 years" dah!

So what else is new. They are career educators, businessmen. Like any other person in business they follow the big bucks.

Unless a school superintendent has roots in the community, is elected like some small towns, he will not be staying. Look at their resumes. That should tell you the story. They are not going to have "emotional attachments" to one location.

We can only hope that the make-up of the school board keeps changing, that they will make wise and equitable decisions for ALL county children, not just one end of town. Whether Grier stays or leaves, there must be some radical changes in the attitude of the board.

It is obvious they aren't agreeing on much of anything lately. It shows in public. Imagine what is going on behind closed doors. They are coming apart at the seams.

As a former employee of GCS, I will say I would rather not have Weast, Greer or Wright in charge. Weast was so egotistical. He had a TV show which all it was was him interacting with minority students to show he works with everyone. the shows never really were about anything. He would have these shown on Friday afternoons like 45 mins after school was over and he said teachers were expected to stay ad watch every week and he would come by schools to make sure. Greer speaks for himself- he didnt have his own show but he backed everything Weast ever did that was questionable and Wright did too. Wright was known to bully teachers. And how about this discipline policy in GCS:
Bring a weapon to school- get 10 days suspension
Use the weapon on an employee- only get 3 days.
What kind of wacky policy is that?

The education section of the N&R is short one person. So what do they do, they send Jennifer over to do a piece on the flea market. I am beginning to believe that noone really wants a great school system in Guilford County. Jennifer may be covering the spring break in Ft. Lauderdale next.

Joe,

I'll bet there's more to the flea market thing than we know...I smell a school brewing over there...

That would be typical of Grier's innovations.

And I won't be surprised if Grier was seen schmoozing with the kids on Spring Break, so sending Jennifer down south is okay by me. He needs to be under close supervision.

His groupies will be following him down to Charlotte too for his next series of interviews. I think the Charlotte-Meck community needs to know exactly what they're getting. NO child deserves his innovations. I know we want him outta here, but not at the expense of more innocent children. The man needs to retire from education.

Good to see the censors are alive and well at the N&R. Disgusting! The N&R is allowed their own skewed viewpoints and interpretations, but let someone else try to put their version out there, it's gone.

Your censorship is most flattering, and reinforcing as far as the validity of the content of the censored material, so thank you for that. It also validates the fact that "Pontius Duncan" was not censored for a few bad words as indicated by Jennifer since there were no bad words in "Interview" just too many things that might be true.

I'm not sure who you are protecting since anybody that comes on this blog already knows the score, but only you can answer that. As to tarnishing the reputations of the characters in the pieces, nobody could ever do more damgage to their reputations than has already been done by the characters themselves.

It is nice to know we live in a supposedly modern county in North Carolina and our biggest newspaper is nothing more than a pandering propaganda rag for a bunch of jokers. You should be proud.

I can't wait for the Rhino to get a blog. They're the originators with "The Sound of the Beep" via the telephone. As soon as they hook up to the computer age, watch out! This placewill be an echo chamber.

I said I would delete posts with profanity and I've tried to do so as I've come across it.

And to Flattery: While entertaining, the long post about the airport interview did include swearing. It would have been just as funny without the profanity.

Feel free to post it again, whoever wrote it, sans swearing.

Kids, this isn't difficult. No swearing, no sexual innuendos. When I see it - and have the time - I'll delete it.

Joe,

Don't get peevish now, just because I haven't taken on your crusade to get a school named after Murrow. When people show they're interested or concerned about how the district names schools, then I'll look into it. For now, I've got my plate full with the Charlotte superintendent search, Judge Manning's threat and the budget coming up.

As for writing about the flea market, well, that was my assignment this weekend. Most of the reporters have to take turns covering a shift over the weekend. If I hadn't drawn the short straw this weekend, someone else would have written about the flea market, even though it is not on their typical beat. Nate, who usually covers county government, wrote about a horse consignment show this weekend.

That's just how it works.

But thanks for your concern, everyone. Really, I appreciate it.

Just received a request for yard signs and bumper stickers from a relative in Charlotte. Minimum of 250!!! They want Gorman but feel the fix is in for Haithcock or Grier. If Grier, they want to be prepared to make sure it's a short visit!

We will oblige the request.

Jennifer, what causes you to see profanity where other people just see basic human modes of expression?...Could it be....SATAN????

We're going to have to start calling you "Little Dot" after another famous person who decided her convictions and morals are sufficient cause to suspend other people's rights in the implementation of such. DON'T YOU SEE, GIRL!!!

Oh, yeah, it's Jennifer's fault you can't discuss serious issues like education without resorting to gutter language. Believe me, it says a lot more about you than it does the people you criticize.

And "Imitation", you don't have a right to post whatever you please on the Chalkboard. The N&R owns this blog and they can set the rules - such as no cursing. Yes, we have the right to free speech, but you can't walk into the grocery store and scream profanities at the top of your lungs. If you do, the store has every right to ask you to leave. No difference here.

If you honestly believe they are trying to censor anti-Terry Grier/anti-school board material on here, you obviously aren't paying attention. Just about every single post on here is anti-Terry Grier/anti-school board!

Grow up,

Amen.

Lord Hear Our Prayers.

Jennifer, Naming of schools is a big thing or should be a big thing. Orange County just named a middle school. The BOE took one whole meeting to make the final decision. they had a committee of 31 citizens. You could have given the 6-5 vote. I don't know who you run around with, but the people I run around have the BOE and naming on their minds. I resent you labeling me peevish. I understand you workload and etc. I will repeat again, they should not have sent you to the flea market. They should have had you work on the backlog of education stories that you need to and want to write. You have absolutely no information that the naming of school Edward R. Murrow is not in the best interest of Guilford County. For your information, I personally talked to the Chairman some three years ago. He liked the name, he urged me to go forward with it, and he said he would support me. I have talked with each member on the BOE and they have encouraged me and with one exception supports the name. I regret you did not take the time to get the facts before calling me peevish. What I said at the Board meeting was the truth. I am proud of it and there are hundreds of people that support the naming of the school after Edward R. Murrow.

Joe,

My point is this, when I get calls, e-mails, etc., about education coverage, people aren't clammoring for stories about the naming of schools. They ask about academics, programs, cutting teacher assistants, budget issues, and more recently, the superintendent search in Charlotte and Judge Manning's letter.

When the naming of Northern Middle came up, you were the only one to call, e-mail or talk with me about how it might be named. I broached the subject with a couple of people, but never got a feeling of huge concern.

If there is such concern in the community about naming new schools, why am I not hearing it? I hear plenty from people about many other subjects.

I had a person tell me he sent an email on the naming. Mayby your server was down or his memory was bad. Reporters only cover what is popular is a concept not familar with. I thought reporters reported the news that interests people or SHOULD interest people. I appreciate your candor or this subject. It will be interesting if you can fully implement the idea. A case in point, noone is interested in Ms. Hayes MWBE witch hunt. However, the paper keeps reported on it. I know not one minority contractor that has indicated that he or she did not get a fair shake on contracts. Contractors, of all colors, are very careful what they bid on. They know their limitations. One bad move and their company could be bankrupt.

Joe,

Give it a rest!!! There are so many other pressing issues than the naming of a school.

Jennifer is right most of us are more concerned with those issues. I personally could give a rat's behind what they name a school right now with all the chaos and nonsense that is going on.
I am more concerned with getting my youngest child through this system with a good education and it looks to me that the way things are going that is not likely to happen!!!!

Joe,

Come back to earth,

1)Grier is gonna/maybe leave us for more money and a community that cares about it's kids education.
2)A Christian in Afghanistan almost got his head cut off for converting from Islam.
3)Cheney shot his only friend.
4)Gas is at 2.55 a gallon.
5)The Furniture Market has left us for Las Vegas.
6)Fantasia refuses to return to High Point.
7)The Judge is gonna close our underperforming schools.
8)Rev. King's suicide was unneccessary, because the DA couldn't get anybody at Homestead to say, "I done it,"

and you wanta name a school after a reporter who went after the greatest American commie hunter in the 1950s, Sen. Joseph McCarthy.

"The Interview" --edited version

THE INTERVIEW

Time: Near future
Place : Small room- Charlotte Interntl.. Airport

At Rise: Dr. Grier sits before a three member panel composed of a scholarly looking man that sort of reminds one of Alan Duncan-only with a soul, a rich-appearing, Lexus-driving-mansion at Lake Norman-looking white lady, almost a clone of Kris Cooke-only with an +100 I.Q., and a bearded grandfatherly-looking black man who reminds one of Dr. Childs- only with the ability to speak without reading from a written prepared statement .

A.D CLONE: So Dr. Grier, how would you some up your educational philosophy?

T.G.: I don’t understand the question.

AD: You know, what do you think are the most important educational issues?

T. G. I don’t know, what do you think is important?

AD: Very good answer.

DR.C. CLONE: What do you think about diversity?

T.G. Diversity is good. I mean, if you think it’s good.

AD: It looks like Dr. Grier here has spent the last two years and considerable political capital engaged in a bloody battle to take a single school in his district from 44% minority to 56% minority…

DR. C. Very good. Twelve percentage points! Yo!!!

K.C. CLONE: Now wait, we have some schools up here by the lake that are nowhere near that diverse. You wouldn’t by chance want to change that, would you?

T.G. : That my dear would depend on what you want. If you want them to stay the same, that’s what I would do.

K.C. But if by chance I wanted to pretend I believed in diversity and wanted to do a political favor for a friend downtown, I could still advocate diversifying a school downtown, and that would be okay?

T.G. Consider it done, babe.

AD: It looks like one of the diversifying tools developed by Dr. Grier was a lottery, could you elaborate, Dr; Grier?

TG.: Well, we had a school that just was not doing well, for whatever reason, not sure what happened there, they were doing allright when I first got to town. Anyway, they were ranked as the second worst highschool in the state. So I went to another higher-performing school and held a lottery, the lottery was actually held in San Francisco, and the kids that lost the lottery got shipped to the first school.

KC: That’s wild.

AD: The parents, of the lottery losers I mean, must have loved that.

TG: Guess they weren’t too happy.

AD: Some people are just picky like that, pains in the hind-quarters.

TG: They made these displays in their yards…ah, never mind about that.

AD: It looks like Dr. Grier here has a reputation here for being quite innovative. Dr. Grier, could you elaborate?

TG: Well, I did some of these middle college things to try to keep kids in school.

AD: We saw that, very impressive.

DR.C: What is a middle college?

TG: It’s were you take kids who get thrown out of regular schools, and just skip highschool and go right to college.

DR. C. You’re kidding me, right?

TG: No, I mean, what the heck else are you going to do with them. Their test scores are still pretty bad, but people think it’s cool.

AD: Dr. Grier here is noted for thinking out of the box. Why it says here he even tried to start an alternative school at a mall.

KC; Like at Concord?

TG; Kind of.

KC: Can you elaborate, Dr. Grier.

TG: Well the theory is; they’re teenagers, and they already spend a lot of time at the mall anyway, right?

KC: I’m following.

TG: So why not just have the doggone school there?

KC We need to hire this guy.

AD: So, how is the mall school working out?

TG: Kind of fell through.

AD Sorry to hear that, what happened?

TG: Well we voted it in but we kind of forgot to tell the mall managers about it, so they rejected it.

AD Don’t you hate when that happens. Anybody else have anything? ...Thank you, Dr. Grier.

(Dr. Grier EXITS)

AD; So, what do you think?

KC: I kind of liked the mall,...and the selective diversification.

DR.C. Doggone it, I forgot to ask about minority contractors.

AD: I don’t think you’ll have to worry about that.

DR.C. What do you mean?

AD. The guys a blank slate. We pay him, he’ll do whatever we want. Let him go to these conference thingys get the honorariums for talking about those middle college things, he’ll be putty in our hands.

DR.C. This guys a sap.

KC: Are you saying he has no principles or convictions or educational philosophy of any kind?

AD: That my dear, is precisely what I’m saying.

DR.C. I think we got ourselves a new Super.

THE END (we hope)

Note: The preceeding is fictional. Since the actual interviews are closed to the public and take place under maximum security conditons possibly involving members of the
Secret Service at top secret venues with the Charlotte Airport, common citizens must be left to their own devices to specualte in such matters. The abvove is such a speculation. It does not reflect the attitudes of the News and Record.

Thank you

Posted by Singing Hosanna In The Highest at March 25, 2006 01:16 AM

SCENE TWO;
A small waiting area. TG is lead blind-folded into the room. Other candidates sit nearby.

OTHER CANDIDATE: So, how did it go in there?

TG: Putty in my hands.

Posted by SHITH at March 25, 2006 06:57 AM

Joe,

You are so right about Deena and the MWBE witchhunt. The law was followed. EVERYONE is sick of hearing about this. Are people supposed to go out and beg contractors to bid? Doesn't anyone realize that women are minorities too?

It is not Grier's job to go out and find bankers for minority contractors. GCS is supposed to be in the EDUCATION business not the BANKING business o the referral business.

I appreciate Sharon O. speaking up at the last board meeting. You walk a fine line of legal issues when you get into contract bidding. There are laws to follow and the MUST be followed.

Re; MWBE Witchhunt;

Meanwhile Deena does nothing about Smith!

What great boardmembers we have.

More Amos Please!

Bring on Garth!!!

Go Garth Go

Go Garth Go

See Garth Go

Win Garth Win

See Garth Win

Grow up,

It's dern near impossible to "discuss serious issues like education without resorting to gutter language". ...yep, dern near impossible.

I try, by golly I try as I might, but those bus-chasin' morons over on Eugenie Street bring out the worstest in folk.

N' sorry, don't buy yer, "it says more about you than the people you criticize", NOPE, don't buy that poppy-cock NO WAY!

Like my mama always did say, treat folk like you'd wanna be treated..now if I were kidnappin' kids and busin' black folk around, i'd hope some good citizen would put a stop to it--by whatever means they gotta. It ain't rite, no, it ain't rite.

I was told by a reliable source that Grier has known some of the school board members for some time, but no one will say if they promised Grier the job or if they have personal relations with him. He applied for the job just like everyone else so his soundbite that he gave about how he is happy here in Guilford County was just for show. Hopefully, the Charlotte board will grant our wish.

On the practical side look at the large increase in salary he would receive. I am sure Mrs. Grier would have a say so in this move. In a financial sense about $100,000 more give or take a few. It is called climbing up the ladder until you retire on some golf course with your winnings.

Yeah but Grier steps all over our kids to get to the ladder.

How many unfair raises have the GCS board members given Grier as a way to keep him here. Guess that blew up in their faces.

Joe’s cause for naming a school has my support. It sure makes more sense than compass coordinates and provides identity and depth to a community. It also costs almost nothing or nothing if done from the beginning. It may be among the top ten most intelligent ideas for our schools lately and beats TG's best.

Sorry Joe, but TG is just an employee the Board has mishandled. Costing a quarter million a year I would expect much better, but they took a 90k a year man and paid him 3 times what he was worth and let him moonlight and get slack, then blame the teachers, take control away from the principals, and then discipline away, then standards of excellence get flushed, then title 1, then SAT scores, then Bonds, then...

I blame it on a few frolicking fickle flits, indulging their social status at the cost of our schools and communities. These few Board members have done more damage to children’s lives and futures, cost us more good teachers, wasted more tax dollars than any intelligent person can imagine.

The only commentary worse than this is the apathy of the voting public that will allow them to run unopposed in the elections. It does little good to say “Get Terry Grier Outta Here” without removing the plague that brought him here in the first place, gave him unbelievable raises and then encouraged him to stay. While he may have little or no value to our community, they will fill the vacuum they see (it probably isn’t real) his leaving has caused (we hope he does, not that I have any ill will towards Charlotte) with another equally incorrigible beggar for them to manipulate as a front for their social agenda. By the time the Board is fixed (if it ever is) race relations will mean the race of families fleeing Guilford will exceed the race of fleeing Guilford.

Correction on above

Race of families fleeing Guilford will exceed the race to teachers fleeing Guilford.

Sorry

What is the purpose of the special called meeting on Wed. 29 March?

Joe,
My guess is so that the board can vote on how much of a salary incentive to offer Grier to stay in GCS.

RE: School Violence, Discipline, Safety
What is happening in our schools?
When is “enough” enough?
What can we do to take back our schools?

I guess by now most of you have heard the news today or read “Principal injured during student fight at Central High” on line in today’s N & R (see Local News/High Point link)

What will it take before our school board and superintendent take strong leadership roles and necessary actions to make our schools safe? When I previously attended the Community Dialogue in Education meetings last year, some board members and Central Office Staff in attendance told us we should come to school board meetings with suggestions not criticism. I encourage each of you who reads this blog to write Dr. Grier, the school board and the commissions to make SAFETY the NUMBER ONE PRIORITY in our schools. Teachers and principals should not be assaulted. Period. There is no excuse for this type of behavior. Trespassers, drug dealers, gangs and child preditors should not be allowed on our school campuses. This should be prevented at all costs. There is no dollar amount too high to pay for our children’s, teachers’ and principals’ safety. If efforts are not put toward prevention and safety now, we will surely continue to pay dearly in other ways. I encourage each of you to speak out before these problems continue to escalate. Here are some suggestions to write about. I am sure you have many others. I have written to the school board and Dr. Grier about some of these in the past. For some I was told it was lack of “money”; for others they were in the works, etc. There are a lot of good teachers, principals, students and parents involved in our schools and there is a lot of good, but we cannot just sweep these problems under the carpet. When we continue to read about vandalism, principals being put in the hospital, shootings at bus stops, gangs, drugs, etc. it is time to speak out. I implore all of you to help “Take Back Our Schools”. Put a uniforms in schools as necessary, not just for the reasons that were recently expressed to help Dudley, but to identify students who DO belong in our schools and remove trespassers from our school campuses.

1. Require photo ID badges for ALL middle school and high school students in Guilford County.

2. Require ID badges for all construction workers and photo ID badges to be worn at all times by ALL Guilford County employees, including substitute teachers, maintenance people, janitors, etc. Make it imperative that ALL visitors must enter through the front door and sign in and have a name tag on.

3.
4. A few years ago the subject to installing metal detectors in some of our high schools came up. I haven’t heard anything on that in a few years. Sadly, this might be necessary in the future. What do you think?

5. Install cameras on all GC school buses, starting with high school and middle schools.

6. Hire additional officers to patrol outside high school and middle school campuses as necessary to keep trespassers out.

7. Bring School Watch into our schools. Educate everyone about this. Establish positive relationships between students and resource officers.

8. Restore the Guilford County Student Handbook to what it was 3 years ago. Enforce the rules equally for all students. Have realistic and meaningful consequences. Zero tolerance for certain offenses.

9. Establish Alternative Schools for those children who do not follow the rules of a traditional classroom setting. Build the Community Service Program for these same students.

10. Investigate and Apply for Federal Grant monies for safety programs and drug prevention and crime prevention in our schools.

11. Have teachers work in buddy systems in patrolling halls in between classes at certain times of day.

12. Have drills for teachers and staff on what to do when fight do break out.

13. Have Student Assembly meetings that encourage school spirit, unity, safety, and school pride. Build the school from within.

14. Provide new freshman with an upper classman of proven character as a buddy (big brother/big sister) for the first few weeks of school to familiarize them with their new environment. Encourage them to join sports, school clubs, etc. and to become involved in their school early on.

This is just a start. Please write TODAY.

I'll go one better. Why don't we keep the

sorry

no good

troublemaking

not concerned with education

here for all the wrong reasons

low life

arrogant

lacking any kind of problem solving skills

think they know evertyhing

bad attitudes

OUT OF OUR SCHOOL!!!

(Yes Grier, I mean YOU!!)

Joe,
I think the meeting is to address the possiblity of Dr Grier leaving and if to offer him a raise etc. I say no. Wehave just implemented guidelines last year to measure his performance. We don't need to jump because someelse is interviewing him. That is the way business is done, professionals move for better jobs. We have 1/2 the students and budget of Charl/Meck and pay him 2/3 the salary. Good enough

I agree with Debora. The BOE has given Grier undeserved raises in the past when he has hinted at other positions, even though our test scores were plummeting. He still looked elsewhere for employment. This is a game he loves to play.

Turn him loose!

Becky,

Sounds to me as if you're jealous.

My prediction: Grier is gonna get a raise whether he goes to Charoltte or remains here.

Dear Bubba,
I think you could be right. Our current board seems divided lately, but my guess is that they will lean toward trying to keep Dr Grier if possible. I do not think they will match Meck. County's offer.

Deborah,

In any event, if Charlotte doesn't say "come on down," I think that Dr. Grier has had about all he can take, and in his mind is already out of here.

The Charlotte thing to me indicates one of two things: 1) He's leveraging this situation for better terms (financial as well as policy changes) from the GBOE, or 2) He's serious about leaving Guilford.

Though not an opponent of Grier, I think in order to defuse the rancorous atmosphere regarding education in our county, it's best he leaves. However, I do lay most of the blame at the feet of the BOE who in my opinion have not provided the guidance nor the maturity level that this matter deserves during a time when our education system is faced with many challenges.

Well said, Bubba. We may not agree on Grier, but the real blame should be at the top. They remind me of hostess twinkies, last forever, all fluff and worthless.

Admittedly I dont know much about big business, hirings and firings, wheelings and dealings, but if Dr. Grier suddenly pulled out of the race in Charlotte Mecklenburg after they have done this high profile, "nationwide search" I think the chances of him ever finding another job are next to nothing.

And Bubba, I'm not jealous. I'm praying for him to get it.

The big CMS community/public meeting with the three finalists for superintendent of Charlotte Meck Schools will take place Wednesday evening April 5,2006 time and place to be announced.

Becky,

Like him or not, Dr. Grier is a hot commodity and will have great opportunities in the education field even if the Charlotte gig falls through and he leaves Guilford schools, as I think he should, as a result of a very misguided Board that has impaired Grier's ability to effectively manage our schools.

Grier has suffered blame for policies incorporated by the BOE which were subject to change at whim. After all, Grier serves at the pleasure of the Board who hired and gave him direction as to what to do.

Hopefully, Garth will be able bring focus to the Board if he should get elected, and from what I've heard it's his to lose.

Lord Hear Our Prayers.

Jennifer,

Any word yet on the meeting tonight? Will you be there? I realize it's a closed session meeting, but don't they sometimes come out of closed door sessions and report their discussions?

Bubba

Grier "might" be a hot commodity but Grier is only interested in North Carolina gigs.

Unless Wake County is hiring Guilford County is stuck with him!

quest,
I'll be there. Not sure if I'll get anything out of it, though. Board members are notoriously tight-lipped about personnel issues.

But I'll be there anyway, just in case they come out and vote on something.

Maybe they are discussing workmen's comp and legal issues for teachers and principals who get beat up by students.

Yes Bubba it is the board that is causing all Grier's programs to fail. But guess what? He has been fired from every superintendent job he has ever had. That must be bad luck to continually get stuck working for a sorry, no good board.

As I recall from last year, the school board decided to give Terry Grier performance goals that he could work to achieve, but nothing seems to have been publicly discussed as to what those were determined to be. Further, if Terry Grier fully met those goals, he would be eligible for a 2.24% increase or about $7,000, which would be an equivalent incease to what teachers would receive.

Now, the board is in a quandry how they can provide Grier with additional "incentives" to remain in Greensboro when they have boxed themselves in publicly with this salary policy. Would tehy be so bold now so as to violate that policy to give him money as an incentive to stay and further alienate the teachers here? Their answer seems to be to solicit "incentives" from local businesses for Grier to be paid to him off the books. This seems to be the only public way for them to go. This logic seems to validate the information that a school official has been quietly soliciting local businesses. The big question is how successful they were in this endeavor. We may never know, if he stays.

Would any local businesses be willing to step up and inform the public what is going on? This would not be illegal for the the board to do, but would be unethical as they made a covenant with the teachers last year to keep Grier's salary increases in line with theirs, percentage-wise. Of course, concern for ethics hasn't been a stumbling block with this administration and board in the past.

Bubba,

Don't be misled into believing that Grier is a victim of a weak school board. His standard line of "I only did what the board asked me to do" is straight out of the Association of School Administrator's handbook for being a successful superintendent. And of course, as a bigwig in that organization, Terry Grier helped write the book. In short, this is designed to pass the blame for failed policies to the school board, rightly or wrongly. Terry Grier and other such administrators can avoid accountability using this tactic. Who's working for whom here?

Don't believe for a minute that Grier is the victim here. Just watch at board meetings how he manipulates the conversation and intimidates members of the board. For openers, look where Terry Grier sits as board meetings. Right in the middle of the dias next to the Chairman. Just by appearances, he is powerful and in charge. He has no right to sit there as he is not a member of the board, but rather an employee. In school districts were the superintendent isn't in charge of the board, he/she sits in the audience with the rest of the school staff and participates in the meeting only as requested. You will note that Grier actually functions here as the #2 person in the board meeting, most likely because Alan Duncan is a strong leader, otherwise he would be running the meeting. Most people don't even realize that Anita Sharp is the Vice Chairman of the board and look where she sits, at the far end. You don't see her dominating the meeting, but you do see Grier dominating it much of the time.

Stormy,

Actually, Amos Quick is now vice-chair of the board. Anita held the position last year.

I didn't realize it was unusual for superintendents to sit with board members.

When I covered school districts in Ohio (at one point, I covered about nine districts) most if not all of the superintendents sat with board members. The rest of central office staff usually sat in the front row of the audience or at tables.

I believe the Rockingham County superintendent sits with board members.

Is this unusual, then, in North Carolina?

Jennifer,

I can't say that it "unusual" for superintendents to sit on the dias with the board members, but how many of them sit in the middle next to the chairman, giving the appearance of being in charge? I think that this by mere appearances gives the superintendent power and control of the meeting. In essence, when you see this, it's the mark of a weak board, controlled by the superintendent. You are right about Quick, but Sharpe was the previous Vice-chariman and she was at the far end. Has Quick assumed center of the dias position as he has become Vice?

Here's something from a national educatonal activist on the subject. I don't know how to copy the images referenced, but the text explains itself. Jennifer, can you honestly say that it isn't obvious that Grier controls the agenda in board meetings and often puts board members in their place when they disagree with him? It's obvious to many, if not to you.

COMPARE AND CONTRAST:
In this photo above, Llano ISD's supe (Dennis Hill, in center in white shirt and tie) sits
in the middle of the board dais and runs one of the three mics. NOTE: Mr. Hill, with $27 million at his disposal as the district's chief administrator, chose to provide eight people with a total of only three microphones. Then-board president Mark Chapman (at left, in dark blue shirt) remains silent and in fact as in this example must wait for Hill to relinquish the mic before he can speak.

The dynamics are different at the Marble Falls ISD board meeting below, where
supe Ryder Warren has not only made individual mics avaiable for all seven board
members in addition to his own, but sits at a separate table off to the far right, with
then-board president Richie Giesecke (gold shirt) in the center of the dais
with his own mic--clearly running both the agenda and the meeting.

And then there's the Davis Joint Unified School District in California (below); then-board president Marty West (far left) and the other four elected board members sit on a dais. Facing them, with their backs to the audience, are the school district's administrators. Unlike the above two examples, the superintendent does not sit with the elected board but instead sits with the other administrators, ready to be called upon and supply answers to the board's questions.

Stormy,

I can't believe the discussion of the seating arrangments at the BOE has come up. Truly you have something more to bring to the table than the seating arrangements of the Guilford BOE meetings.

I would expect no less than for a CEO (in this case Dr. Grier)of a company to sit at the table with the Directors (The Big Dogs at the BOE). Happens in many industries (educational as well)so how can you conclude that it's a sinister plot by Grier to intimidate the Board? That's a huge leap.

Loath him or like him, Dr. Grier serves at the pleasure of the Board (who hired him) and implements their policies along with his expected input that is considered by the Board for acting upon. Pure and simple, Dr. Grier conducts his affairs for the most part at the direction and guidance of the Board.

Wanta change the direction of educational policies in Guilford County (outside of hoping that Judge Manning is appointed to the Supreme Court), change the Board to mirror your philosophy and you'll then find that the Super, whether it's Grier or someone else, will implement the policies of the new crowd. After all, it's a paycheck.

While most public bodies do have the paid manager at the "table", he is usually relegated to far side to symbolize the relationship. Almost all County Commissioners and City Council meetings are the same in this with the City manager relegated to the furthermost seat from the “Chair”. Most boardroom decorum dates back to old England and space at the table, each seat appointed by hierarchy, was always held sacred.

I have attended many classes in strategy and subliminal methodologies and while most people are ignorant of these nuances, those who understand use them. Many people do not understand why the are more or less comfortable with a situation they just feel it. Using seating, lighting, dress and furniture are all tools that are used by those who understand them. Even being aware of these “controls” does not make one immune from their influence.

Don’t discount Stormy’s gut instinct out of hand. Many, many books and articles address these issues in great detail and the best in business not only dress for success, but surround themselves and orient themselves for success. TG inherited seat placement from what I can tell. He is a rank amateur in controlling his environment. But Stormy’s not out in left field at all.

That being said, if TG were able, he should choose the farthest seat from center. It would not only allow the Board to think they were in superior position, it would take more of the heat from him. His best asset is his "backroom" controls, in which he has a far greater intellectual and personality supremacy over all but a couple of the Board members.

TG is a master at making BOE members important. He almost never talks down to them. He does not play favorites among Board Members the way Jerry Weast did. TG is a man of truth. I doubt you will find better. However, I am opposed to any enhancements to his contract. Let the normal evaluation stay in place.

Oh brother, now Dr. Grier is being accused (or there are allegations of) of wanting to manipulate the Board's proceedings as a result of his seating arrangement, and worse our soon to be (my sources tell me it's his to lose) saviour of Guilford county's education system, Garth, gets taken in with this boloney.

Perhaps the Chairman invited Dr. Grier to sit next to him, completely unaware of the potential subliminal effect that this might have on the fair citizens of Guilford County. What is Dr. Grier gonna be accused of next?

In general, most CEOs (Dr. Grier) are seated at the conference table when the directors (at the BOE) are in session. In general, the CEO knows more about the companie's operations than the Board and tends to yack more than the others. After all, the CEO is in the trenches everyday running the company, whereas the Directors have other outside interests (jobs) besides their directorships to occupy their time.

Oh God, I hope I'm not making a mistake when I vote early and often thruout the day for Garth in November.

Lord Hear our Prayers.

Bubba:
You missed my mark. If he were using seating and such he would do it differently. Believe it or not, it is a tool, however, he apparently is not of that caliber, or is too egotistical or ignorant to care.

We have spent too much valuable time on this, but I was trying to point out that there is usually more than meets the eye and that the trained eye is aware of many cues. Be sure that Alan doesn’t miss many. I appreciate the confidence in my chances but I will not risk a loss this time. It is mine to loose, you are right, but I take that from the underdogs view. ie: until I win it, I will assume I am loosing.

Yes I got sidetracked a bit today, but trying to stay sharp edged with 80+ hour work weeks is wearing me down a bit. April 17th, here I come…

Bubba,

You said previously that you live in the "Southern" district. How can you vote in a District 2 race?

Bubba, Demon Deacon, David Hogg....it's all the same. Excellent observation Terp......follow all the posts......same MO.

Just got the new magnet!

"Celebrating Susan Mendenhall's 16 years of Non representation 1990-2006"

There are 499 more soon to out there decorating cars in celebration!

Bubba,

You overlooked one thing when you compared Grier to a CEO of a company. CEO's are predominant in a meeting because they are the Chief Executive Officer, who is an elected member of the board. Grier is not a CEO, he is not elected, he is a hired hand employee. At best, he would be similar to a president of a company. The president is the chief operating officer, and may or may not be a member of the board. So, the short answer is "No". Grier does not get a seat front and center and running the meeting. He is not the CEO, nor is he an elected board member.

And, you are wrong that the CEO is in the trenches every day running the company. The CEO, along with the board,have a primary responsibility to oversee the operations of the company and provide direction. You need to take a lesson in corporate governance if you are going to continue posting on a subject which you know nothing about.

Stormy,

In light of Dr. Grier's position as supervisor of the school system and who reports directly to the Board, I would say his position requires the same responsibilities as a CEO. He might be the CEO all but in title but by virtue of the office/position is, as in most cases, automatically a member of the Board. Ever heard of an EX OFFICIO member (no need to be elected)? Most CEO's are never elected to the board but are members by virtue of their position.